Wednesday Bible Study: Psalm 119 deconstructed, part 1

 

The next study I want to do is on the longest Psalm- number 119.  This is an accrostic in the Hebrew tongue that has 8 verses per stanza, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.Most of them deal with 8 concepts of faith in the Hebrew mind: law, testimony, precepts, commandments, statutes, word, judgments, and ways.  What I want to do is get a broader understanding by studying each concept ACROSS the stanzas, to find the deeper meaning.   This week, the concept is LAW.

In Bible study, the word "law" makles you think: the Ten Commandments, the rituals, etc.  But that isn't the ppint here.  The word, "Law", is in the Hebrew "torah".  Youn say, "Torah? Isn't that the one section of the Old Testament, like, 'the Law and the Prophets' ?"  Exactly.  The word itself means, 'teachings'- it is the whole body of what God has revealed in the lives of those He touched.  And, you'll see, it means more.

At this point, you might want to tune your Bible into Psalm 119, because I'm going to do less quoting to keep things from getting too unwieldy.  I looked at this from a few different angles.  First off, I want to look at the main themes you can pull from just looking at the "Law" verses- 23 of them by my count.

First theme- the Law should be a delight!  The very first verse tells us that we are BLESSED by knowing the law.  And what does 'blessed' mean? HAPPY, on a level way, a right way.  And it activates God's tender mercies (v77), when you delight in them.  But how do you "delight" in the law?  In modern terms, that can seem silly.  But the key to delighting in the law is to STUDY it (v97).  The more you study, the more the delight.

Second theme- and this should be obvious from looking at today's world- the Law is TRUTH.  The law runs in two threads here.  First, it removes you from the ways of lying (v29)- it puts you on a different path from a world which believes in "personal truth" and making up then narrative to fit the desire.  Second, it gives you an anger against lying and liars (vv113, 163).  And this is a crucial concept.  It is not enough to set a standard for yourself- you can't allow yourself  to accept what isn't true without challenge.

Third main theme- the law is SALVATION.  Salvation from death (v92), from affliction (153), and the salvation of your soul (v174).  Remember that Jesus told Pilate:

Joh 18:37  Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 

Joh 18:38  Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” 

There is the key to understanding the evil in this world in one blow: those who are not evil know Jesus's word as truth; those who don't, scoff at truth.

Another way I looked at it is in the way it affects us.  First, what we need: God to open our eyes to see the wonders in it (v18); God to give understanding that we might keep it (v34); and the desire to not forget it (woven throughout).  As you can see, God has to give, AND we have to work.  That brings us to point two: what we need to do.  Kepping it at a level that we never forget- and for that, we have to keep seeking delight in READING the Word.  Keeping the world from turning us aside from it (first in v51) despite what they might throw at us.  Third, keeping that formula of meditation+ delight. Finally, we have to commit ourselves fully to it- not just in us, but in others: 

Psa 119:136  My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law. 

Then there are the reactions that our following the law elicit in the evil:  the Proud will deride us (v51), the wicked will seek to bind us in their ways (v61), the willfully stupid will not understand (v70), and the double-minded will try to make us think we are in agreement (v113).  There are many verses that talk about what would happen to us without the law, and as many which tellus how the law protects us, but I think the key to this part lies in just one passage:

Psa 119:150  They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law. 

Psa 119:151  But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. 

If the law is our delight, the evil may DRAW near, but God IS near.

The final way I want to look at this- and a reinforcement of all the rest- was kind of a gift of God to me.  You see, as I was making notes, I was keyed onto looking for just one appearance in each stanza,  But in the stanza for the letter Zayin (vv49-56), I saw later, there are THREE mentions, and what they bring out covers the whole enchilada:

1- Psa 119:51  The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. 

Staying faithful despite persecution requires meditation on the law.

2- Psa 119:53  Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. 

Note that is their actions, not their persons, that causes the indignation; their persons, being misled, bring us sympathy and grief (v136 again).

3- Psa 119:55  I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law. 

The law becomes a constant reminder to stay faithful, even in darkest times.

In closing, you see that the law is far from the list of do's and don't's- it is the way of life God intends for us, to keep us from the lies of this world and headed for the salvation He achieved for us.